


Into the west

by culfire



Series: Little Bag End [4]
Category: The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, I'm Sorry, M/M, Please Don't Hate Me
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-30
Updated: 2016-05-30
Packaged: 2018-07-11 04:25:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,145
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7028425
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/culfire/pseuds/culfire
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"It was a beautiful easter day, Thorin brought the coffees to the garden table passing through the open gate Dwalin and Gloin had built for them on September. Bilbo was humming something absently while was cooking the pancakes. It was not the usual type of song he prefered, this one was solemn, too solemn for such a beautiful day."</p>
<p>4th part of Little Bag End series, inspired on Peter Hollen's "Into the west" version.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Into the west

**Author's Note:**

> I'm really sorry for the delay, I completely forgot I was supposed to publish last wednesday.
> 
> Thanks for the kudos, I really do appreciate them. 
> 
> And... I'm really sorry for what's going to happen, don't hate me please.
> 
> Thanks for reading.

It was a beautiful easter day, Thorin brought the coffees to the garden table passing through the open gate Dwalin and Gloin had built for them on September. Bilbo was humming something absently while was cooking the pancakes. It was not the usual type of song he prefered, this one was solemn, too solemn for such a beautiful day.

“Which song is that one?”

“What...? Oh fuck” some color drained from his neighbour’s always happy face when he realised what was he humming. “Oh, no. It’s a song from the Shire, we sing it at funerals, I’ve not sung it since mum’s last days.”

“Is something wrong?”

“I’ve got a bad feeling, a really bad one.”

“Maybe it’s just your imagination, isn’t it? Just the memories of your mother’s passing.” Bilbo didn’t look sure at all but finished the pancakes anyway and served them.

 

The phone rang when the breakfast was nearly over. Bilbo answered feeling the same chill he felt when his mother told him about her cancer. It was Bell Gamgee, Sam’s mum. He could feel the sorrow on the way she breathed, the time she had been crying before calling him. There had been a huge accident on the road beside the Brandywine, something about a truck going too fast on the bridge, Drogo and Prim were involved, their car falling down the bridge. Help didn’t get fast enough.

 

Everything happened too fast; the world went upside-down, Thorin caught him before he hit the floor and he could not think of anything that wasn’t “they are dead”. The next thought was about Frodo, what about him? Where was the lad? Was he alright? He was halfway the Shire before he was aware of it, the Harley growling through the road.

 

His first stop was at Gamgee’s home, Frodo was there with Sam, Merry and Pippin. The lad sensed that something was not right, he hugged Bilbo the moment he entered, calling for his uncle Bilbo. “He is just five” thought Bilbo, “how will we tell him what has happened? He is too young.” Bell explained everything far from the young ones who could hear them, the truck’s brakes failed and the driver couldn’t control it. Fortunately, Frodo was on a trip with the Gamgee’s and his friends. 

 

They decided the best thing for Frodo was to be with the children as much as possible and Bag End was the best place for the four of them. Merry and Pippin’s parents appeared two hours later with news about the funeral arrangements, Prim and Drogo’s parents were taking care of that. Bilbo brought the children to Bag End while the rest of the parents took clothes and things for the children. Esmeralda took him apart for a moment to speak with him in private.

“Frodo will need someone, Bilbo.”

“I know, but who will adopt him? Most of you already have your own children, and I won’t let him with the Sackville-Bagginses.”

“You could do it, Bilbo.”

“Me? I don’t know, Esme; I’m not a parent, I don’t know anything about raising a child, I won’t do a good parent for Frodo.”

“You’re his guardian Bilbo, Drogo and Prim wanted you to raise and take care of Frodo if something happened to them. They believed in you.”

“But, what if he gets sick and I don’t notice it? What if I don’t know if I’m being too harsh or too soft?”

“No one knows how to be a parent before becoming one, there’s no one in earth more fit for raising Frodo than you, you’ll learn, both of you will learn. There’s nothing written down about parenting, you know what it’s to live without a father, he has lost both, don’t let him down.”

“Ok, Prim would like it that way, I’ll do my best.”

“No one can ask more than that.”

 

Thorin was on his office when the phone rang, he was waiting for news from Bilbo, something about the lad, anything at all. He had been nervous since Bilbo left, hoping for any chance or excuse to leave his job and help his halfling somehow. The call was it, his neighbour sounded anxious but confident on what he was doing.

“I have a huge favor to ask from you, handsome.”

“All yours halfling, tell me.”

“Actually there are two favors, first I need you to rent a car and bring it here. Bring Frerin too, I need someone to take my girl to London. And second, I need your services as a lawyer, I want to adopt Frodo, and some people here won’t make it easy.”

“Something about your dating preferences?”

“Got it. There’s no one here who can take care of Frodo, but they’re too small minded to let me adopt him.”

“They would let him go with someone unknown just because you are gay?”

“Yes, they would.”

“I’ll be there tomorrow, take care of the lad, he needs someone who understands him more than anything else.”

“How will I tell him, Thorin?”

“You’ll know, it won’t be easy, but you’ll know.”

 

Bilbo couldn’t sleep. It was strange to be back in Bag End after all that time. After he spent the last Christmas with the Tooks he had not put a feet on the family house since the last summer Bella was able to come. There was an ukulele on the living room, it was a present from his father to his mother, she couldn’t take it with her the last time they had been there. He sat on the garden and played “La vie en rose”, sometime later Frodo joined him.

“Couldn’t sleep?”

“Nope, Merry snores.”

“That’s all, darling?”

“Nope, they say I’ll be living with you from now on.”

“They who?”

“I heard aunt Esmeralda” the lad said looking sheepish about spying them. “Is it true? I’ll live with you?”

“Maybe, would you like that?”

“Yes, I think I would like that very much.”

“But…?”

“Ma’ and Da’ are not coming back, are they?”

“Have you been spying us the whole day?” Frodo had the decency of looking sorry, Bilbo took a deep breath and decided that there would not be a better moment for telling his nephew the truth. “No, lad, they are not coming back.”

“Do I have to be strong?” that was not what he had expected.

“What? Why do you ask that?”

“People on movies say they have to be strong for the others, do I have too?”

“Oh no, sweetheart, you don’t have to be strong.”

“You sure?”

“Yes, I am. Frodo, my lad, there will be a time when you’ll have to be strong but that will be later, many years later, today you don’t have to be strong, and no one can expect otherwise.”

“Good, I don’t feel like being strong” he murmured with eyes full of tears. “Will you stay with me, uncle Bilbo?”

“Always.”

 

Thorin got to Bag End at midday into a minivan Bilbo hated. Frerin jumped from the passenger seat the moment they parked on the garage. Thorin hugged his neighbour tightly and offered his hand to a shy Frodo. The host showed them where the Harley was and Thorin’s room; Frerin was leaving after lunch, much to his disappointment. Bilbo informed Thorin that the funeral would be the next day and that he would like him to accompany them. As the day passed by Thorin helped Bilbo with the procedures and the paperwork for the adoption; Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pippin always a presence beside the halfling.

 

It was late at night when the lad acceded to lay down and sleep in the room he shared with his friends. Bilbo guided Thorin to Bella’s music room, it was an insonorized room prepared for when his mother was composing and years later for Bilbo when he studied on summers. There was a beautiful piano in a corner, Bilbo prepared it with care and sat down to start playing. Thorin recognised the song from the radio,  _ See you again _ , he felt it was the right moment for it.

“She was not just a cousin.”

“Pardon me?”

“Prim, Frodo’s mother. She was my cousin, and my best friend” he smiled at the memory. “Remember that first breakfast? I told you someone taught me to smile again; it was her. After dad died I was deeply depressed; I refused to speak with anyone and spent all day locked on my room. She came everyday to see me, speaking of everything and nothing at the same time; she brought me videogames and movies, read books out loud for me or just sat there by my side just stroking my hand with hers.”

“She looks like a great friend.”

“She was, after some time she got to convince me to get out of the room. First it was to the garden, later to the park or the grocery... When I realised I was not depressed anymore I was on a party dancing with a lovely girl as she danced with Drogo. They were such a lovely couple. Drogo was in love with her since the first day they met, Prim though it was just for a one night stand. She was the smart one, not always, but most of times.”

“What happened? You’re not so close now.”

“I found a job as composer. I’m glad Frodo was on my class, that way we got closer, not like before but I get to remember why I loved her so much.”

“You regret your decision of taking that job?”

“Sometimes. I lost a great amount of time I could have spent with mum, with the rest of my family and when things like this happen it feels like I’ve wasted my time working.”

“You wouldn’t be teacher” and then added in a joking tone. “You wouldn’t have known me, right?”

“I think mum would have made something so we could met.”

“Sounds exactly like Bella” there was a silence between them with just the piano filling it. Suddenly Thorin had a doubt. “What should I expect from the funeral?”

“It’s a normal funeral, well, there’s just one thing, we sing that song you heard yesterday. It’s  _ a capella _ , usually is the head of the family who sings the main voice but none of the head’s of the family are able to sing anymore; you should hear Old Took singing, he is awful.”

“So who’s gonna sing?”

“Me, they have asked me to be the first voice. I need you to be with Frodo meanwhile, it would be hard for him, I trust no one else with him.”

“Don’t worry, I’m your guy.”

“What would I do without you?”

“Cry desperately?”

“Can I cry now?”

“As much as you like.”

“Thanks, handsome.”

 

Bilbo dressed Frodo for the funeral on his formal suit, he looked cute, like a little gentleman. Bilbo smiled to his nephew and tried to arrange his hair in a somehow organized manner; as his own curls Frodo’s were an utter mess. He told about Thorin taking care of him during the funeral and got a bad face in exchange.

“What’s wrong, sweetheart?”

“It’s not that I don’t like Mr. Thorin, but you promised me you’d be with me, always.”

“I have to sing, darling, I can’t do it with you around.”

“Why?”

“I need to be strong to sing.”

“And what if I help you to be strong? I’ll be strong with you” he looked so lost, so hopeful of being useful. “Uncle Bilbo, please?”

“Ok, you can be with me, we will go through this together.”

“Together.”

 

He felt like drowning. There was too much people there, he felt unable to sing, then he saw Thorin waiting on a corner and a tiny hand squeezed his lightly. He looked to Frodo and smiled, he was not alone. Bilbo took a deep breath and started singing.

 

_ Lay down _

_ Your sweet and weary head _

_ Night is falling _

_ You’ve come to journey's end _

_ Sleep now _

_ And dream of the ones who came before _

_ They are calling _

_ From across the distant shore _

 

_ Why do you weep? _

_ What are these tears upon your face? _

_ Soon you will see _

_ All of your fears will pass away _

_ Safe in my arms _

_ You're only sleeping _

 

_ What can you see _

_ On the horizon? _

_ Why do the white gulls call? _

_ Across the sea _

_ A pale moon rises _

_ The ships have come to carry you home _

 

_ And all will turn _

_ To silver glass _

_ A light on the water _

_ All souls pass _

 

_ Hope fades _

_ Into the world of night _

_ Through shadows falling _

_ Out of memory and time _

_ Don't say: «We have come now to the end» _

_ White shores are calling _

_ You and I will meet again _

 

_ And you'll be here in my arms _

_ Just sleeping _

 

_ And all will turn  _

_ To silver glass _

_ A light on the water _

_ Grey ships pass  _

_ Into the West _

**Author's Note:**

> I'm really sorry, I hope you've like it even if it's such a sad chapter and that I got to show some sweetness in it too.
> 
> Thanks for reading. See you soon.


End file.
